You think Frau can handle this man? Katana with katana?

frau kaleun · 11-26-10, 09:07 PM

Yeah, I've seen that clip before... I think I may even have the DVD of the show it was taken from.

Dude is clearly far more experienced, skilled, and comfortable handling a katana than I am, c'mon, I've done ONE fairly simple kata. And I don't work with a real blade, but a wooden practice sword.

That said, I have no idea if he's actually just really good at the kata or has actually trained in some style of traditional Japanese combat swordsmanship (and no, kendo as taught to win modern-day kendo tournaments doesn't count from what I've seen and heard). It's one thing to handle a weapon well in a choreographed performance and quite another to use it in a spontaneous confrontation with a similarly armed opponent.

Being able to perform well in a kata doesn't always translate into being able to hold one's own in a real fight. Case in point: I train with a guy who was a bartender for many years, during which time he made the acquaintance of a local martial arts instructor in another style. He got to know this guy well enough to have spent time watching him demonstrate his kata and techniques and in doing so the guy was consistently flawless and incredibly powerful. Truly a thing of beauty to behold. And yet this guy would come into the bar on a fairly regular basis and get into a fight with some random no-name and get his arse kicked every single time.

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11-26-10, 09:07 PM	#2
frau kaleun Rear Admiral Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Skyri--oh who are we kidding, I'm probably at Lowe's. Again. Posts: 12,706 Downloads: 168 Uploads: 0	Yeah, I've seen that clip before... I think I may even have the DVD of the show it was taken from. Dude is clearly far more experienced, skilled, and comfortable handling a katana than I am, c'mon, I've done ONE fairly simple kata. And I don't work with a real blade, but a wooden practice sword. That said, I have no idea if he's actually just really good at the kata or has actually trained in some style of traditional Japanese combat swordsmanship (and no, kendo as taught to win modern-day kendo tournaments doesn't count from what I've seen and heard). It's one thing to handle a weapon well in a choreographed performance and quite another to use it in a spontaneous confrontation with a similarly armed opponent. Being able to perform well in a kata doesn't always translate into being able to hold one's own in a real fight. Case in point: I train with a guy who was a bartender for many years, during which time he made the acquaintance of a local martial arts instructor in another style. He got to know this guy well enough to have spent time watching him demonstrate his kata and techniques and in doing so the guy was consistently flawless and incredibly powerful. Truly a thing of beauty to behold. And yet this guy would come into the bar on a fairly regular basis and get into a fight with some random no-name and get his arse kicked every single time.